Jason Gillespie, the head coach for Pakistan’s red-ball team, will take on additional responsibilities as the interim head coach for the white-ball format during the upcoming tour of Australia.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced the decision through a post on their official X (formerly Twitter) account.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced Jason Gillespie will coach the Pakistan men’s cricket team on next month’s white-ball tour of Australia after Gary Kirsten submitted his resignation, which was accepted,” the cricket board posted.
Gillespie was appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as the red-ball head coach, while Gary Kirsten was roped in as the white-ball head coach in April 2024.
However, Kirsten has resigned from the post following his disagreements with the cricket board over central contracts and white-ball squads for the upcoming tour of Australia and Zimbabwe.
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It’s worth noting that previously head coach and captain of the respective formats were part of the selection committee as voting members.
However, following Pakistan’s heavy defeat in the first Test against England, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) overhauled the selection committee, removing the captain and coach from the selection process, which did not sit well with Gary Kirsten.
Moreover, the PCB announced the central contracts for the 2024-25 international season, along with the squads for the tours to Australia and Zimbabwe. The reports suggest that Kirsten expressed his disagreements over the squads.
The cricket board also appointed wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan as the captain for Pakistan’s white-ball team ahead of the upcoming tours of Australia and Zimbabwe.
The Australia tour will run from 4-18 November, while the matches in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, will be played from 24 November to 5 December.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Salman Ali Agha has been appointed as the vice-captain and will lead the team in Rizwan’s absence during the T20I series against Zimbabwe.
Pakistan Squad for Australia Tour
ODI SQUAD: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (vc) and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
T20I SQUAD: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan
Pakistan Squad for Zimbabwe Tour
ODI SQUAD: Mohammad Rizwan (c)(wk), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Shahnawaz Dahani and Tayyab Tahir
T20I SQUAD: Salman Ali Agha (c), Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah (wk), Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan
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